An exclamation expressing quick movement or the sound of rapid, successive chopping actions.
Onomatopoetic reduplication combining 'chip' (sound of a chop) and 'chop' (the cutting action itself), dating to early 19th century. The repeated sounds mimic the rapid, rhythmic noise of consecutive cuts.
Onomatopoeia like 'chip-chop' shows how humans instinctively mimic sounds to describe actions—your brain actually processes the rhythm of the words and imagines the quickening pace of an axe hitting wood repeatedly.
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